Archive for June, 2010

We didn’t have to . . . this time. But friends of ours did. Saturday afternoon, the Hardy fire was meters from their house, which sits on 5 acres, and they had to leave. W. family loaded up dogs, horses, and goats into trailers; found people to take the dogs — the entire Humane Society facility had to be evacuated as well — and headed out to his work, where the animals would stay in their trailers overnight. Orville has a small aviation business: charters flights and fuels aircraft at the airport. He spent the evening fueling up planes that would go out and fight to protect his own house! Eldest daughter Emily told each pilot: “You’re our heroes!” Soonest they’ll be able to return is Sunday evening or Monday.

Why do I know about this? Because Flagstaff Home Educators was holding their 3rd annual Ball *in their hangar* last evening. Other families brought formal dresses for each of the girls to wear.

I didn’t post last weekend, but here is what I was doing — sheep wrangling 101.

These are freshly-shorn Churro sheep, traditionally raised by the Navajo in this area, waiting to go home from the annual Wool Festival in their trailer. These particular sheep come from a flock owned by Joe Meehan of the Arizona Historical Society and also of Southwest Skye Pipes and Drums. He and I were discussing old Scottish, Irish, and Welsh songs, and when the time came to get the sheep into the trailer at the end of each day of the Festival, I got to help. I would stand at one opening in the fence and prevent them escaping that way, while the more robust helpers chased them around the pen and (eventually) up the ramp and into the trailer.

Knitting-wise, I’ve been working on writing the article on Bavarian Twisted Stitches for Cast On magazine and learning little bits about vector-based graphics versus pixilated fonts. (My DS is so skilled with this stuff!) And trying out new yarns and colors for kilt hose — need to be sportweight and manly.